---
title: "What Is Mini implants? Dental Glossary | Town Center Dental"
description: "Mini implants are dental implants with a much thinner post than standard implants, used most often to steady a lower denture."
url: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/mini-implants
publisher: Town Center Dental
phone: +1-636-273-5866
quote: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/request-appointment
---

Implants

# Mini implants

Mini implants are dental implants with a much thinner post than standard implants, used most often to steady a lower denture.

Mini implants have a much narrower post than standard implants. Because of their size, they can sometimes fit in a thin ridge where a standard implant would not, and placement may need less cutting. A study in the NIH library notes that when a patient has poor bone volume, several mini implants may be used to retain a denture. They are used mainly to hold a denture in place, as with an [overdenture](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/overdenture). They are thinner, so they may bear less chewing force than standard [dental implants](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-implant). Your dentist will talk with you about the choices and their limits. See [implant-supported denture](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/implant-supported-denture) and bone density.

## Related terms

-   [Implant-supported denture](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/implant-supported-denture)
-   [Overdenture](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/overdenture)
-   [Dental implant](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-implant)
-   [Bone density](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/bone-density)
-   [Bone grafting](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/bone-grafting)

## Sources

1.  [NIH PubMed Central: Rehabilitation of resorbed mandibular ridges using mini implant retained overdentures: A case series with 3 year follow-up](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4837782/)

## Ready when you are

[Request an appointment](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/request-appointment)[Call (636) 273-5866](tel:+1-636-273-5866)